Human Growth & Development Behaviorism vs. Ecological Systems Theory There are many ways in which the behaviorist and the ecological theory of development are similar and ways in which they are different. While behaviorism focuses on a narrow, cause and effect process of development, ecological systems theory puts forth that development takes place within the interplay of biological, familial, societal and governmental forces. On the subject of “nature versus nurture” they are essentially in agreement and fall on the side of nurture however, ecological theory goes deeper into the sources of that “nurture”. In the behaviorist model, the assumption is that we come into the world an unformed ball of clay and are then molded by positive or negative feedback, or as behaviorist B.F. Skinner terms it “reinforcement”. Ecological systems theory recognizes that both nature and nurture work together to form behavior.
Perception is the organisations, interpretation and identification of sensory information which helps us to understand the environment. Perception is how organisms are organised and interpreted to make sense of the environment. All perceptions involve the nervous system which results from stimulation from the sense organs. Gibson’s ecological approach shows that he sees real movement as the most vital part of perception. The ecological view seeks to find the characteristics and organisation of organisms; therefore it is basically looking to find what it is and what it does.
Freud believed that it was possible to link the psychosexual stages of development with adult neuroses. Freud identified that if the psychosexual stages of development where in any way interrupted at a certain time, then this would cause problems in later life. “Psychosexual development according to Freud proceeds as a series of interactions between dispositions and environment, mediated by a developing ego.” (Freud & Horney, Grossman,1986, p5) Thus, Freud stated that there were different stages of psychosexual
Each crisis stage relates to a corresponding life stage and its inherent challenges. Resolution of earlier stages is believed to directly affect the resolution of later stages. According to Austrian (2008), completion of each stage successfully leaves a person with a mastery sense known as ego quality or strength. The assumption is that each psychosocial stage has both a successful and unsuccessful outcome (e.g.trust versus
Bronfenbrenner is most famous for his views on ecological psychology. He suggests that interactions with others and the environment are keys to development and that we all experience more than one type of environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory consists of 4 levels of influence. The microsystem, such as family, classroom, etc. is the immediate
Environmental psychologist solves problems regarding human-environment interactions, whether globular or localized, and tries to predict the environmental conditions under which humans will act in a proper and constructive demeanor. Arousal theories dictate that an inverted-U relationship survive between operation and stimulation—meaning that the change of state increases so does functioning, but only up to a point (Arkkelin & Veitch, 1995). The arousal theory states that intermediate levels of arousal are best for neurological stimulation, noise levels, personal space, and physiological responses. Stimulus load theories examine the finite capacity of individuals to compute knowledge (Arkkelin & Veitch, 1995). A stimulus load theory proposes a theory of stance restriction to explain the fundamental phenomenon between stimuli and performance.
COPYRIGHT MICHAEL P M MHLANGA THE NATURE NURTURE DEBATE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALS. MICHAEL P M MHLANGA GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY The concepts of nature and nurture shape the development of human beings. This write up sets out to assess the nature nurture debate, pinpointing the effects each has on the development of children. Terms that will be defined are nature nurture debate, nature and nurture. Feldman (2009) defines the nature nurture debate as the issue of the degree to which environment and hereditary factors influence the behaviour.
Rather than sexual intercourse, Freud became more interested with the way in which things feel good to the skin. To fill his interest, he established the psychosexual development theory in 1905, which served as the center for the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory. He claimed that sexual drive is not only present in adults, but in toddlers and infants as well. Within the theory, there are five different stages; the oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stage. During his research, Freud discovered the large effects that past experiences can have on personality development.
3. Personality is shaped by the manner in which children cope with sexual urges. According to psychoanalytic theory, personalities arise because of attempts to resolve conflicts between unconscious sexual and aggressive impulses and societal demands to restrain these impulses. The Iceberg Theory The metaphor of an iceberg helps in the understanding of Freud's topographical theory. Only a small amount 10% of the iceberg is visible (conscious awareness) whereas the other 90% is beneath the water made up of subconscious and the unconscious.
His son, Kai T. Erikson is a noted American sociologist. Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages. Like Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, he explored social and emotional interactions between children and their caregivers. He also emphasized the relationship of early experiences to later personality development. One of the main elements of Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity.